Are you a GREAT STUFF™ Guru?
Note: Recognizing that GREAT STUFF™ Insulating Foam Sealant has many properties that make it suitable for non-standard applications, like arts and crafts, care must always be taken to read and follow all safety instructions as noted on the label prior to use. This product is not intended for use by children, requires appropriate protective equipment (such as gloves and safety glasses), good ventilation, and elimination of all sources of ignition to help ensure safe application of the product.
Get inspired by the clever ideas submitted by your fellow DIYers, mothers, artists, and remodelers in the list below. Have a genius product usage that you’d like to share? Send us your photos of interesting ways that you’ve used GREAT STUFF™ Insulating Foam Sealant and you could be featured in our next e-newsletter or on our website. Send your name and photo(s) to: somanyuses@dow.com.
| Foam Improvements | ||
| Rockin' Lighthouse Provided by DyAnna Ellis, Choctaw, OK |
DyAnna Ellis, a miniature lighthouse collector, hit on a great way to display her collectables – creating “rock cliffs” with GREAT STUFF™. DyAnna started with small shelves, laid them on waxed paper, and started by applying GREAT STUFF™ to the edge of the shelves and then worked her way underneath each. Pebbles and branches were then carefully added while the foam was setting. After the insulating foam sealant cured, DyAnna carved the foam and then spray-painted a white base coat onto the sculpture and then a coat of clear lacquer. Felt backing was used to hang the masterpieces. | |
| Insulate Your Coffee Provided by Richard Jansen |
Cold coffee is a reality that plagues us all, but Richard Jansen took action against the offending travel mug. By pulling off the bottom of the mug, Richard discovered there was space between the inside molding and the stainless steel outer shell. He used GREAT STUFF™ Window & Door to fill the gap and let it dry overnight. In the morning he trimmed the excess foam with a steak knife, replaced the bottom, and treated himself to a hot cup of joe. Problem solved and proof that GREAT STUFF™ really can fill any gap. | |
| Snake Foam Home Provided by Anson Bonte |
What snake doesn’t deserve a mansion made from GREAT STUFF™? Anson Bonte created the perfect snake terrarium with GREAT STUFF™ Big Gap Filler for the interior decorations. Additionally, GREAT STUFF™ Pond & Stone was used to create a water dish and planters for the side of the cage. Because the foam is closed cell and water-resistant, Anson never has to worry about leaking water. |  |
| Seating Made From Sealant | Love baseball games during the summer but hate the uncomfortable seating? Make your own GREAT STUFF™ seating pad. Use an old shirt box and line the inside with a garbage bag or plastic wrap. Spritz water on the surface of the bag and then fill the area with GREAT STUFF™ Window & Door. Once the product has cured, peel off the box and garbage bag and wrap the foam block with a team t-shirt. | |
| A-Maze with GREAT STUFF™ | Want to make an outdoor game more challenging? Build a maze for mini golf or croquet with GREAT STUFF™. Lay down the maze formation by cutting up cardboard. Spray GREAT STUFF™ Big Gap Filler onto the formation and let it expand into a wall. Wait at least an hour for the foam to cure. | |
| Seal Away Wood Worries | Polyurethane-based GREAT STUFF™ Insulating Foam Sealant is water-resistant and provides a perfect barrier between firewood and wet ground. Over time tarps can sweat and allow moisture to rot wood. Lay down a garbage bag, large piece of cardboard, or a tarp where you plan to store the wood and coat with GREAT STUFF™. Let it cure and then stack all of the wood on top of the new platform you have just created. If you plan to set-up the wood outside and would like to use the platform year after year, seal the foam with paint or varnish. | |
| Cushion Your Valuables Provided by Roy Berendsohn and published in the May 2007 issue of Popular Mechanics. |
Some package contents are too valuable to simply stuff with newspaper and ship across the country. That’s where GREAT STUFF™ comes to the rescue. Roy Berendsohn created a method to secure contents so that they do not shift during shipping. Wrap the item in a plastic bag and hold it in place by using GREAT STUFF™ Insulating Foam Sealant. Apply the foam in layers; let one layer dry before creating the next one to avoid creating a gooey pocket that won’t cure. |  |
| Festive Foaming | ||
| Spooky Spider Provided by Ryan Steinka, Midland, MI |
What better way to get gym-goers to come running into the health club than a huge, scary spider hovering in the front lawn? Ryan Steinka, a health club worker at the Valley Plaza Resort, showed his Halloween spirit in a big way by building this spider with 145 cans of GREAT STUFF™ Big Gap Filler, plywood, PVC pipe, and wiring. The creature even has light-up eyes. |  |
| Frightening Foam Fingers Provided by Doreen Kibbe, Enfield, CT |
One order of foam phalanges with a side of head coming right up. When Doreen Kibbe’s nine year old daughter wanted to be a head on a platter, what better way to construct fingers swollen with rigor mortis than with a bit of GREAT STUFF™ Insulating Foam Sealant? Her real fingers then poked through the side plates so that she could get a grip. The verdict is still out on which tasted better, her head on a plate or the trick or treat candy that she scored from such a yummy costume. |  |
| Gaps & Cracks & Holes, OH MY Provided by Kathi Reagan, Lynn, MA |
Kathi Reagan scared away the crows and impressed the neighbors with her innovative Halloween handiwork. She created a ghoulish scarecrow to decorate her yard. An inflated 24” beach ball served as the perfect canvas for GREAT STUFF™ Insulating Foam Sealant. Kathi covered the entire ball with a layer of GREAT STUFF™ Fireblock, which happens to have a bright orange hue. She then carved out the mouth, added teeth, and painted eyes. |  |
| Ornamental Application | Why waste good popcorn to trim the tree when you can eat it and instead make fake popcorn. You will need a garbage bag, string, tape, and two blocks of wood. Lay the garbage bag down on the ground and then place the blocks about a foot apart with a garbage bag underneath. Measure and cut the string so that it is 10 feet. You may need several strings depending on the size of your tree. Tape the string so that it stretches across the blocks and then zigzag the string back and forth between the two blocks, leaving enough room to work on each portion of the string separately. Now put “blobs” of GREAT STUFF™ Gaps & Cracks across the string with each squirt of the foam several inches apart (so that there is room for each to expand and enough bare string to keep it flexible for decorating). Let it cure for several hours. You will never need to use thread and a needle on popcorn again. If your tree is in direct sunlight, varnish or paint before use. | |
| Sled Made from Sealant | Remember the days of sledding on lunch trays? You can create a water-resistant sled with GREAT STUFF™ Insulating Foam Sealant. Use an old shirt box and line it with a garbage bag or plastic wrap. Spritz water on the surface of the bag and then cover the area with GREAT STUFF™ Window & Door. To create a more “cushioned” feel, layer GREAT STUFF™ and allow it to cure between layers. Once the product has cured, peel off the box and garbage bag and you are ready to hit the snow. | |
| Oddly Enough | ||
| Landscape In A Can Provided by Rachel Fainter |
GREAT STUFF™ Insulating Foam Sealant keeps the cold out, fills gaps, and can help you obtain a Master’s degree, or at least it did for Savannah artist Rachel Fainter. For her thesis exhibition, Rachel used 22 cans of GREAT STUFF™ to build a 7.5’ willow tree as part of a garden installation. Now a graduate from Savannah College of Art and Design, Rachel has mastered the art of developing awesome alternate uses of GREAT STUFF™. |  |
| Scary Foam Monster Provided by Robert Vaughan, Dearborn, MI |
What big ideas you have! Robert Vaughan used GREAT STUFF™ to mold and shape the skin on his “Scary Wolf.” This artist found a truly creative alternative use for the foam sealant. |  |
| Rendering a President from Foam Provided by Fran Volz, Chicago, IL |
What’s 10-foot-tall, made from a combination of STYROFOAM™ Brand foam and GREAT STUFF™ and looks like our 16th President? If you answered Fran Volz’ sculpture of The Lincoln Memorial then you are correct. This installation was created for a competition in Chicago where it was exhibited for six months and then auctioned off. |  |
| Foam Float Provided by Contractor Frank Linkmeyer and Aurora Lumber Company Larry Petty |
Frank Linkmeyer paraded his love for GREAT STUFF™ with this amazing parade float. As a contractor, Frank frequents Aurora Lumber Company often and created this ode to GREAT STUFF™ by covering a junkyard truck with GREAT STUFF™ Fireblock for the Aurora Lumber crew. “Hot wheels” has a whole new meaning with this creation. |  |
Directions and Safe Handling for Using GREAT STUFF™ Insulating Foam Sealants
Read directions and plan ahead for safety and best results.
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DANGER! Flammable Gas. Vapors may cause flash fire. This product is extremely FLAMMABLE during dispensing. DO NOT SMOKE WHILE DISPENSING OR USE NEAR OPEN FLAME. Shut off pilot lights and sources of ignition until foam is tack free.
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KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN.
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Do not breathe vapors. Inhalation and skin exposure may cause sensitization. Ensure good ventilation. Open all windows and doors in the room. If no ventilation is available, wear a NIOSH approved respirator with an organic vapor and particulate filter (P-100).
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Contents under pressure. Do not puncture or incinerate. Do not store above 120F (49C) or in areas of high heat.
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The cured foam is combustible. Do not expose to temperatures above 240F (116C).
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Extremely sticky and very difficult to remove from skin and other surfaces. Prevent skin and eye contact. Wear gloves and protective eyewear. Protect work area with a drop cloth or newspaper.
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Shake vigorously for 30 seconds.
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SCREW threaded end of straw assembly securely onto valve. Dispense slowly.
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If product does not flow easily, do not force product from can.
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Familiarize yourself with foam by practicing on newspaper.
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CLEAN UP: If you get GREAT STUFF™ on your skin, remove excess carefully with a dry cloth, being careful not smear the foam to other unexposed areas. Wash with soap and water. Frequent application of petroleum jelly or vegetable oil may help sooth the skin. Cured foam must be mechanically removed or allowed to wear off in time. There are no solvents or cleansers that will dissolve the cured foam; using such solvents may cause harm and chemical burns. On solid surfaces, uncured foam dissolves with acetone. Test a hidden area before applying to the exposed area. Cured foam will discolor if exposed to ultraviolet light. Paint or coat foam for best results in outdoor applications.
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GREAT STUFF™ Insulating Foam Sealant is tack free in approximately 15 minutes and cures in 8 hours. Curing is speeded by humidity and moisture.
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Cured foam can be trimmed, shaped, sanded, painted or stained.
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GREAT STUFF™, an adhesive sealant, will seal itself shut if allowed to sit unused for over two hours and may not be restarted. One time use should be expected.
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DO NOT OVERFILL. Fill openings less than 50 percent full. For large voids, mist water between foam applications to speed cure. Overfilling can buckle substrates.
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Overfilling the gap is common, but easy to remedy. Once dry, trim excess foam with any sharp knife or serrated blade.
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